Last Thursday, Judy Beasley introduced our club members to her "DG Partner's Project" for this year, the "IDF" (Indigenous Literacy Foundation). The Foundation commenced in 2010 with the mantra, "Reading Opens Doors" and a Vision statement that emphasizes "Equity of Opportunity".
The project aims to provide First Nation children with books that they like to read in their own language. So they are producing books created by Indigenous people from the remotest parts of Australia, and indigenous children see themselves reflected in these books and they want to pick them up. This encourages them to read, and there is abundant research to show that reading skills are vital in opening opportunities for young people to develop in many areas of life..